Japanese food Hoshigaki (dried persimmons)

In this season, persimmons are delicious.

  There are two types of persimmons, a sweet persimmon and a sour persimmon.
 We usually eat the sweet persimmon for dessert.
  I have eaten the sour persimmon. It was not good taste.
  I had something uncomfortable in the mouth.

  We also eat the dried persimmon.
  They are so sweet. And they are expensive if you buy at the supermarket.
However, you can make the dried persimmons in your house like below.
 

  Interestingly, the sweet, dried persimmons are not made of the sweet persimmons.

The dried persimmons are made of the sour persimmons.

  The dried persimmons on the photo will be ready in about one week.

Short trip in Gunma Tomioka silk mill

 Do you know a Japanese old mill, called "Tomioka silk mill" was
registered as a world heritage in June in 2014.
  Fortunatelly, Tomioka silk mill is close to my hometown.
It takes about 90 minutes by car. Today, I introduce about it.


  About 300 years ago(in the Edo period), Japan built up nation
by exporting raw silk. Japan had to develop the quality to
catch up the world economy.
  Tomioka silk mill was established to develop the quality of
Japanese raw silk. Japanese government focused on the
industrial development to catch up European civilization.
  A French directer was invited to instruct the French high technology
of those days. A lot of women workers were engaged in the
jobs in Tomioka silk mill. The women worked so hard.
I heard that they had to work over 12 hours a day at busy season.
However, they could have educational classes besides their work.
They stayed at the dormitory near the mill. They could also
have pastime, such as singing songs, dance and so on.

  Tomioka silk mill was state-run institution. Some decades later,
it was privatized for many years. It was run around 150 years.

  Here is the dormitories for women workers.

  The news about the register as World heritage was surprising and nice for
Japanese people. Now there are thousands visitors at Tomioka.
   Before the news, there were no visitors here.



  Japanese people may be fickle. I am not sure until when this situation continues.